The little angel tried to follow the young girl, but her wings wouldn't budge. She was stuck. And no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't free herself.

Her plea for help didn't go unanswered, however, as a gruff voice said, "Can I be of assistance, madam?"

Although she heard the voice call out, the little angel didn't see anyone.

"Who said that?" asked the little angel.

"I did," said a large polar bear.

"I hear you, kind sir. But I can't see you."

"I can't see you either," said the polar bear. "Where are you?"

"I'm not sure. All I see is a big wall. And to make matters worse, I'm stuck."

"A big wall is all that I see, too," said the polar bear. "And I am also stuck. This is most peculiar."

As she struggled to break free, the little angel hoped that everything happening was just a dream. But when she opened her eyes the next morning, the wall was still all she could see.

"Are you still there?" called out the little angel to the polar bear.

"Yes, and still stuck."

"Me too," she said in a sad voice.

But the little angel's sadness soon faded, when the young girl was standing beside her once more. The little angel thought that the young girl had come back for her, but she had not.

Suddenly everything around the little angel started to shake, and then the young girl was gone. The little angel asked the polar bear if he had also felt the great tremble, but he had something else on his mind. He asked her if she too smelled something wonderful.

"Yes," said the little angel. "But how can you think of food right now?"

And then a voice said, "Hello, I'm a gingerbread man."

The little angel and polar bear could hear the gingerbread man, but they couldn't see him. The gingerbread man told them he was stuck and couldn't move. But unlike the little angel and polar bear, the gingerbread man was facing a window; and through it he could see snowflakes falling outside.

"How do you get to see such things? All we can see is a big wall," said the polar bear.

"I don't know," said the gingerbread man, "but it sure is lovely."

The little angel's eyes filled with tears. She thought that she would never be able to see such things herself. And then the young girl came back yet again, but this time she plugged something into the big wall.

Suddenly beautiful lights flashed in all directions!

The young girl then placed a candy cane right above a little angel, and right below a polar bear.

"What do you think, Mommy?"

"I think it's the most beautiful Christmas tree ever," said the young girl's mother.

"Now there's only one last thing to do," said her father.

The young girl's father proceeded to place a gold star atop the Christmas tree, but before doing so, he asked everyone in the room to make a wish. And everyone did. Later that night the gingerbread man ran away as fast as he could – the polar bear was outside playing in the snow – and the little angel was in the young girl's room watching over her.

To learn more about Artie Knapp and his work, please visit him online at www.artieknapp.com.

There is no cost for SNPA members to reprint this article in their papers, provided that credit is given to Artie Knapp.

In 2006, Artie Knapp wrote a children's story titled "The Wasp and the Canary." To date, he's had close to 30 children's literature works published that include books, videos, stories and poems. These works have been published in over 200 publications across the world.

Artie's children's stories are also widely used by many educational organizations to assist children in learning and sharpening their English.

Among Artie's writing credits are the children's books, "Stuttering Stan Takes a Stand," and "Living Green: A Turtle's Quest for a Cleaner Planet," a shortlist finalist for the national Green Earth Book Award. He is a member of The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.